Day 116 (8/14) - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

Day 116 - 16.9 mi/1807.9 mi tot
Kinsman Notch to 0.6 mi N of Franconia Notch

A few things before I get into the meat of the post:
1) I am not lonesome so don't worry Mom and Sabrina
2) I didn't really intend to do nearly 17 miles today when I started
Explanations forthcoming.

So I got to bag two more 4000 foot peaks today with South and North Kinsman. The climb up South was a fun one with a good rock scramble and just fun hiking. Even saw a huge moose near Harrington Pond on my way up. Not much for views from South but the North peak had some good cliffs with some really nice views of the Franconia Ridge, where I will spend the day tomorrow.

On the way down towards Franconia Notch I passed my first AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) Hut of the trip. These huts are staffed facilities that have bunks for guests and serve breakfast and dinner. All for the bargain price of $97 per person per night and $116 on Saturday nights. Definitely out of my price range and a little steep for a bunk. Anywa, the Lonesome Lake Hut looked really nice and there were a ton of people there. Welcome to the Whites on a summer weekend with good weather. Definitely not lonesome at Lonesome Lake. One option that I was going to look into was to do a "work-for-stay" (WFS) at this hut. I would d an hour or two of chores in return for food after the regular guests have eaten and a place to sleep. Since the weather is supposed to be nice tonight and not nice tomorrow, I opted to push on and set myself up to try for a WFS at another hut tomorrow night.

The other fun thing about the Whites is that there are some areas that have restrictions on where camping is allowed. But it isn't always clear where those areas are and where they end. To avoid having to pay for a tent site or spot in a shelter (the AMC charges $8 per night at most sites along the AT) the option is to "stealth camp" along the trail and hopefully not be woken up in the middle of the night and made to move. So I am stealth camped near Franconia Notch with the sounds of I93 in the background (the last interstate I cross on the trip). Plan is to head along Franconia Ridge tomorrow and do a WFS at the Galehead Hut, hope it works out well for me.

I never seen a night so long when time goes crawling by, the moon just went behind a cloud to hide its face and cry

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek